Australia is currently battling the worst bushfires in recorded history. Twenty three people have lost their lives and over five million hectares of land has been destroyed.
As volunteer firies battle on and communities begin to assess what it’ll take to rebuild their lives, the rest of the world has stepped up with a myriad of ways to get funds to those who need it most.
Free nudes for the firies
LA-based model Kaylen Ward, aka The Naked Philanthropist, was devastated by the news stories of bushfires in Australia. So she decided to organise a fundraiser, offering a free nude of herself to every person that could provide proof of a $10 donation to a list of 20 charities supporting those affected by bushfires.
Ward’s unique fundraiser has amassed over 130,000 likes and 40,000 retweets in three days. She’s currently got a team of four people sorting through the thousands of donations, which she estimates has reached over USD$500,000.
A number of other women who use Twitter as part of their sex work careers have also put their hands up to help and are similarly raking in thousands in donations.
‘Bunnings’ in Bali
Botanica bar in Seminyak, Bali, took a leaf out of Bunnings book by hosting a sausage sizzle over the weekend to raise money for the Red Cross.
Slinging sausages and frosty bottles of Bintang, the Australian managed establishment told that they brought in over $800 worth of donations from expats and tourists alike.
SO. MANY. fundraising concerts
Multiple fundraising concerts have popped up to take place across the month. Courtney Barnett, Camp Cope and Alice Skye teamed up to announce a fundraising gig in Melbourne which sold out within hours. They then announced a second date which also promptly sold out.
Sydney festival have also announced a fundraising concert featuring an all-star Aussie line-up of Regurgitator, Custard, Dan Sultan, The Neptune Power Federation, Polish Club and Art vs. Science.
After bushfires forced the cancellation of Falls Festival’s Lorne leg, some of those on the line-up rushed to organise fundraising replacement gigs.
Dance duo Peking Duk raised $44,000 from their gig at Melbourne’s Hotel Esplanade, rounding it up to an even $50,000 for the RFS and Red Cross. G-Flip also brought in $10,000 in donations from her Melbourne replacement concert.
International artists also got in on the action with US singer Halsey donating every cent from her Melbourne replacement show to the Country Fire Association.
UK punk-pop star yungblud also brought in some funds for the Rural Fire Service (RFS) in between being mobbed by teens and encouraging his .
Comedians come out in force
US comedian Nick Kroll, who is currently in Australia on his first stand-up tour Down Under, committed his entire pay from his sold-out Melbourne and Sydney shows to fundraising efforts.
He teamed up with Aussie actor Joel Egerton to kick off the #FightFireWithAFiver campaign to raise money for the NSW RFS.
View this post on Instagram @joeledgerton and I are raising money for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (@nswrfs) to combat the #australianfires. Link in Bio. Pass along!!! #fightfirewithafiver A post shared by Nick Kroll (@nickkroll) on Jan 3, 2020 at 11:00pm PST
Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen lured in over for the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund by offering bonus content from their wildly popular TOFOP podcast.
Anderson will also be headlining a bushfire relief show at Sydney’s Giant Dwarf theatre in January, alongside the likes of Matt Okine, Becky Lucas and more.
Then there’s the amazing efforts of comedian and influencer Celeste Barber who’s is currently at $35 million in donations from around the globe.
Sports stars turn up
Nick Kyrogios’ made an emotional pledge to donate $200 for every ace he served at his upcoming tournaments.
Following his announcement, Tennis Australia promised to donate $100 for every ace served at the ATP Cup in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney across January.
Tennis Australia have announced the AO Rally for Relief exhibition match at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday 15.
Tennis star Ash Barty has already committed to donating her Brisbane International winnings which top out at $360,000.
Lou Sticca, the head of Melbourne-based agency Tribal Sports Group, has taken to Twitter to tease the prospect of an all-star soccer game that has the potential to raise millions for bushfire efforts.
